по-

• IPA^(key): /pɔ/

по- • (po-)

1. A prefix indicating the delimitative aspect.

   ‎по- (po-) + ‎спие (spie, “to sleep”) → ‎поспие (pospie, “to have some sleep, sleep a little”)

2. A prefix indicating the perfective aspect.

   ‎по- (po-) + ‎влече (vleče, “to pull”, impf.) → ‎повлече (povleče, “to pull, give a tug”, pf.)

3. A comparative prefix in adjectives and adverbs.

   ‎по- (po-) + ‎ефтин (eftin, “cheap”) → ‎поефтин (poeftin, “cheaper”)

   ‎по- (po-) + ‎често (često, “often”) → ‎почесто (počesto, “more often”)

• IPA^(key): [pə]
• IPA^(key): [ˈpo] (when stressed)

по- or по́- • (po- or pó-)

1. perfective aspect

   ‎по- (po-) + ‎-йти́ impf (-jtí, “to go”) → ‎пойти́ pf (pojtí, “to go”)

2. (rare) imperfective aspect

   ‎по- (po-) + ‎купи́ть pf (kupítʹ, “to buy, purchase”) + ‎-а́ть (-átʹ) → ‎покупа́ть impf (pokupátʹ, “to buy, purchase”)

3. for a while, a little (see delimitative aspect)

   ‎по- (po-) + ‎говори́ть impf (govorítʹ, “to talk”) → ‎поговори́ть pf (pogovorítʹ, “to have a talk, to talk a little”)

   ‎по- (po-) + ‎лу́чше (lúčše, “better”) → ‎полу́чше (polúčše, “a little better”)

4. place names

   ‎по- (po-) + ‎Во́лга (Vólga, “the Volga River”) + ‎-ье (-ʹje) → ‎Пово́лжье (Povólžʹje, “Volga Region”)

   пово́лжские не́мцы ― povólžskije némcy ― Volga Germans

   ‎по- (po-) + ‎Ла́ба (Lába, “the Elbe River”) + ‎-ский (-skij) + ‎доли́на (dolína, “basin”) → ‎Пола́бская доли́на (Polábskaja dolína, “Elbe River Basin”)

   пола́бские славя́не ― polábskije slavjáne ― Polabian Slavs

   Померания ― Pomeranija ― Pomerania

• The stressed variant is found in the following situations:
  1. the past participle of verbs with a one-syllable root ending in -ать, -нуть and some others: e.g. по́жранный (póžrannyj) from пожра́ть (požrátʹ, “to devour”), по́гнанный (pógnannyj) from погна́ть (pognátʹ, “to drive”), по́гнутый (pógnutyj) from погну́ть (pognútʹ, “to bend”), по́литый (pólityj)/поли́тый (polítyj) from поли́ть (polítʹ, “to pour, to water”);
  2. the past tense of some verbs with a one-syllable root: e.g. по́лил, поли́л (pólil, políl, masculine singular past tense) from поли́ть (polítʹ, “to pour, to water”), по́мер (pómer, masculine singular past tense) from помере́ть (pomerétʹ, “to die (colloquial)”), по́дал, пода́л (pódal, podál, masculine singular past tense) from пода́ть (podátʹ, “to give, to serve (food), to deliver (a vehicle)”);
  3. some deverbal nouns: e.g. по́вод (póvod, “cause, reason”) from води́ть (vodítʹ, “to lead”), по́греб (pógreb, “cellar”) from погрести́ (pogrestí, “to bury, to inter”), по́езд (pójezd, “train”) from е́здить (jézditʹ, “to ride, to drive”);
  4. some adverbs: e.g. по́верху (póverxu, “on top, on the surface (colloquial)”), по́пусту (pópustu, “to no purpose, for nothing (colloquial)”).

по-

1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.